The spirit of giving
by doc boy
Summary: While celebrating Christmas Eve, Ash accidently destroys Misty's present and decides to go out into the freezing cold to find her a new one, before the night is out... This fic participates in the "Cortex Christmas Challenge", found on the forum: Synchron Cortex


The spirit of giving

I do not own Pokémon

In this story, Ash and Misty are sixteen

It was Christmas Eve, and Vermilion city was decorated for the holydays. Light chains and ornaments decorated the streets and the streetlamps. Our heroes would be spending the holyday in a local Pokémon center and Ash and Misty are just returning to the center after she made him tag alone to her shopping. While there, he got her a Christmas present he knew she would love, but it would not last very long…

Later that evening, Ash entered the lobby of the center and while approaching his friends on the couch, he tripped the electrical cord for the Christmas tree and fell forward on one of the presents. Due to the sharp ingredients inside, Ash screamed in pain but quickly sat and regained his composure. His friends hurried towards him to see if he was all right.

"Ash are you okay?" asked Misty.

"Yeah I'm fine I just got jabbed by the… oh no…" he muttered as he looked at the crumbled present before him. He examined the tag and both his and Misty's eyes fell when he did. On it was written,

 _"Merry Christmas Misty, from your best friend, Ash."_

"You broke my present?" Misty asked in a shaky voice.

"I'm sorry Misty, it was an accident. I tripped over the cord and…," said Ash as he unwrapped it to inspect the damage. In the box was a shattered water Pokémon shell, Misty's favorite kind of Pokémon.

"Oh Ash, you got me a Krabby shell and you broke it?"

"I'm really sorry Misty, it was an accident. I didn't mean for it to happen…"

"Oh Ash…" she muttered with tears in her eyes and ran to her room. Ash tried to run after her, but Brock grabbed his shoulder and shook his head firmly. Ash sighed sadly and sat down on the couch in front of the fire. He looked at his watch. It was six PM. Odds are he won't find an open store but he had to try. He grabbed his coat, scarf, and gloves and got ready to leave.

"Ash where are you going?"

"I'm going to buy Misty a new shell."

"What are you crazy? It's snowing outside and you'll never find an open store at this hour."

"I have to try."

"Ash this is crazy. It's freezing out there. You'll never find an open store. Besides these things are rare."

"Well I gotta try anyway. I'll see you when I get back Brock." He said and exited the center with Pikachu running after him. Brock sighed and shook his head.

"Mad fool…" he said and sat down.

Ash wandered the streets of Vermilion city looking for an open store but the streets were deserted and he found none. He searched and searched but the only sings of life he found were from a nearby church celebrating the holiday. He sighed heavily as he passed by Vermilion port. Then he had an idea. Luckily, for him, it has stopped snowing, so that makes things easier for him. He walked towards the pier and took off his coat and shirt. Pikachu looked on worriedly at his master's actions. Just as he was about to dive in, Pikachu tugged at his pant leg.

"Pika, pika pi, Pikachu… (You don't have to do this Ash…," he said worriedly. Ash bent down and rubbed his friend behind the ears.

"I'll be right back Pikachu, okay? This won't take long. I hope…," he said and Pikachu looked on worriedly. Ash approached the end of the pier, took a deep breath, and jumped head first into the water. Ash could feel and hear himself scream through the water and its painfully cold subzero temperature. He searched the shore area for shells but found none. Running out of air, he resurfaced and gasped for air while trembling from the bitter cold. After a few seconds, he dove right in again to look some more but to no avail. After a few minutes, he climbed back onto the pier and put his coat back on to warm up. During the next few hours, Ash would repeat the process, trying to locate a shell for Misty, to make things up to her.

Meanwhile, Misty has returned from her room and joined Brock at the lounge. He was sitting there with a very serious look on his face.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"It's Ash. He went out to find you a new present and he hasn't come back yet and It's ten thirty. I went outside to look for him and I tried his cell but he's not answering. I'm really worried about him. If doesn't come back by the time the center closes at elven I'm gonna call the police."

Her sadness and anger immediately replaced by fear and concern, Misty rushed to the vaper covered windows while holding a blanket around her.

"Ash has been out there for four and a half hours?" she asked in fear. She quickly removed her blanket and rushed to get her coat.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm going after him. He could be unconscious somewhere. I don't want to lose him. Especially not on Christmas…" she said and Brock joined her.

"I'm coming with you…," he said. But just as he was zipping his coat, the sliding doors opened and Ash wobbled in followed by Pikachu who leapt out of his jacket and shook himself dry. He was soaking wet, was covered with snow, was very pale, his lips were blue, and he was trembling badly. His friends rushed towards him.

"My God, Ash what happened to you?" asked Misty as she placed her hands on her friend's shoulders.

"I… I… h… had… t… toooo g…. gggoooo…. g….. gggeeettt you a n… nneww shellll…" muttered Ash as he huffed the last word out. Misty stared at him and then at Brock.

"Ash, you didn't have to do that, I'm already over that shell…"

"S… still…" he muttered.

Misty smiled sweetly at him and brought him into a hug. When she pulled back, she looked at him with a soft smile.

"Let's get you some dry clothes," she said and he nodded.

Ash's friends walked him to his room so he could change clothes. Even after he was wearing dry clothes, he was still trembling. He put his jacket back on which was dry and they helped him to the lounge again and gave him a furry thick blanket. Ash sat in front of the fire with his hands forward, trying to warm up, still trembling out of control. While trying to warm up, Misty sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder, while wrapping her arm and blanket around him. He looked at her and blushed. He opened his mouth to speak but she silenced him as she placed a finger on his lips.

"It's okay. Just go with it…" she said and smiled as she blushed slightly too.

After some time, Ash finally managed to warm up, but then started sneezing. Clearly, he got sick from being in the cold for so long. It was so bad that he had to lie down on the couch to feel better. He lay there with a blanket on him, starting to feel warmer as he slowly drifted to sleep once he stopped trembling. Misty sighed with relief, glad to know he was out of danger. She looked at the clock. It just read midnight. Misty smiled sweetly at him and leaned forward to kiss him on the lips.

"Merry Christmas Ash. Sweet dreams…" she said and went to sleep in the couch next to his…

The night went by quickly. It seemed that not long after they were asleep, did they wake up. The teenagers woke up roughly at the same time. Glad to be alone together on Christmas morning, they smiled at each other, rushed for the Christmas tree, and sat down beside it. Misty gave Ash a small package and he thanked her. He unwrapped it, revealing a photo album of the two of them containing pictures from their best times together. He smiled broadly.

"This is wonderful Misty thank you…," he said and brought her into a hug but Misty groaned in pain.

"Ash, what is that in your pocket? I felt something sharp."

Ash smirked at her.

"It's your Christmas present." he said and reached for his jacket's breast pocket.

"My present? But I thought you…" her sentence was interrupted by him presenting her with a beautiful Pokémon shell, plucked from the sea floor, after hours of searching in the dead of winter, on Christmas Eve.

She looked at him and at the shell in shock as he gave it to her.

"Sorry it took so long. It was hard to breathe down there. It's a horesea shell. I couldn't find a Krabby shell but I've heard this one was more valuable…" Misty held the shell in her hands in awe. To Ash's surprise, tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"Oh Ash… you didn't have to do this…" she said and looked him, overwhelmed with emotion.

"This is the best gift anyone has ever given me. Thank you…," she said and he smiled.

"You're welcome."

Feeling like thanking him wasn't enough, she brought him into a big warm hug. After resting in his arms for a while, she felt it was time to let a certain load off her chest. She separated from the hug and looked into his eyes.

"I got one more present for you Ash…" she warmly.

"What's that?" he asked.

"This…" she said and leaned forward and kissed him passionately on the lips. Immediately returning the sentiment, Ash kissed her back as she wrapped her arms around his neck, as he wrapped his around her waist, as their tongues danced in each other's mouths, as they kissed like there was no tomorrow. Pulling back Ash found himself lying on the carpet with Misty hovering over him.

"I love you Ash…" she said sweetly and he caressed her cheek.

"I love you too. Now and forever…" he said happily, as she kissed him one more time and rested her head in his trusty chest, as they slowly drifted back to sleep, after getting the best Christmas present of all. Love…

The end…

Well that was longer than usual. Anyway, hope you guys liked it and if you would kindly review my work I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks for reading everyone and have a happy holydays…

Peace out…


End file.
